Baker Signs 'Grand Bargain' Raising Minimum Wage, Requiring Paid Leave
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill Thursday to increase the minimum wage, require paid leave for workers and mandate an annual August sales tax holiday in Massachusetts.
The so-called "grand bargain" was designed to keep a series of ballot questions off the November ballot, including a proposal to cut the state sales tax from the current 6.25 percent to 5 percent.
The bill lets workers take up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member or new baby and up to 20 weeks of paid leave for their own medical needs.
It would also gradually raise the state's minimum wage from $11 to $15 an hour by 2023, while phasing out time-and-a-half pay for Sundays and holidays.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)